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GENERAL FACTS 



ABOUT THE 



TERRITORY 
OF ALASKA 

IN CONDENSED FORM 



Edition of 1 9 1 7 



PUBLISHED BY 

THE ALASKA BUREAU OF 
PUBLICITY 



. A315 



■ UmSAHr OF CONGRESS 

RfeCfclVtO 

OCT 2 1924 



3^ GENERAL FACTS ABOUT 
■p ALASKA 



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Alaska embraces 586,401 square miles or 375,296.640 acres. 

The population in 1890 is given at 32,052, including Natives. The 
white population (1917) is estimated at 50,000. The census of 1910 
gives 64,356. 

About quarter of its total area lies within the Arctic Circle. 

The purchase price paid to Rus.sia was $7,200,000, or less than two 
cents an acre. 

GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES 

Alaska's coast line is 26,000 miles in length, or 7,860 miles longer 
than the Atlantic seaboard of the United Slates. Its length from north 
to the south Is more than 1,100 miles and its breadth is 800 miles. 

The chain of the Aleutian islands reaches nearly 1,500 miles into 
the Pacific Ocean. 

PHYSICAL FEATURES 

Alaska contains the highest known mountain in North America — 
Mount McKinley, 20,400 feet high. Mount Wrangell has an elevation of 
3 9,000 feet. Mount St. Elias is over 18,000. Mount Crillon is 15,000 
feet and Mount Perouse is over 14,000 feet. 

CLIMATIC CONDITIONS 

Along the Pacific coast portion of Alaska the climatic conditions 
vary to some extent according to locality, but they are generally mild. 
In that region, which may be said to extend from Dixon Entrance to 
Kodiak Island, including the islands of Southeastern Alaska and the 
strip of coast between the ocean and the first range of mountains, the 
average rainfall is about 90 inches a year. The maximum temperature 
is between 86 and 90 degrees and the minimum is 4 degrees below 
zero. On the Alaska peninsula and along the Aleutian islands the climate 
is generally milder, but also varies according to local conditions. Going 
north into Bering sea and further to the Arctic the climate of course 
becomes colder. At Point Barrow, on the Arctic coast, the rainfall 
is about the lowest in Alaska, not averaging more than 7.50 inches a 
year. The highest temperature at Point Barrow is 65 degrees and the 
lowest temperature is not known to have reached more than 55 de- 
grees below zero. In the interior a winter temperature of 80 degree'^ 
below zero has been reported once in a while, and summer temperatures 
of more than 90 degrees above are often recorded, but the temperature 
in winter has often been hardly at freezing point. Precipitation is 
very small, some authorities comparing It with that of eastern Oregon 
and Washington. 



GENERAL FACTS ABOUT ALASKA 



COAL 
It is estimated by ihe U. S. Geological Survey that the coal fields 
of Alaska cover an area of 12,667 square miles. The chief fields are those 
of the Matanuska, whose product has been tested by the United States 
navy and found to have fine steam-producing qualities. Bering river 
fields, probably, come next in importance, while coal, but said not to 
be of such high quality, is also found in the Nenana region, at Cape 
Lisburne in the Arctic, on the upper and lower Yukon river, on the 
Alaska peninsula and elsewhere. 

TIN 

Commercially valuable tin deposits have been exploited only on the 
Seward peninsula, where tin valued at about half a million dollars has 
has been taken out, mostly in placer form. A comparatively small amount 
has been found in the Hot Springs district. 

COPPER 
The exports of copper for the year 1916 were 135,289,219 pounds, 
valued at $35,534,039. 

FISHERIES 

The value of the fisheries exports for 1916, including whale oil, 
fertilizer, etc., was $24,180,049. 

GOLD 

Gold, and a small amount of silver, shipped ia 1916, was valued at 
$16,332,117. 

Copper and fish exported to Canada in 1915 were valued at $587,- 
000. The figures for 1916 were not available when this was writen. 

RAILROADS 

The railroads of Ala^a are as follows: 

The government railroad is in course af construction from Seward 
to the Tanana river. It will have a total distance of 417 miles with 
a spur of 38 miles to the Matanuska coal fields. The estimated cost 
of this system is $26,800,000 and Congress has appropriated $35,000,000 
for the work. As part of this system the government has purchased 
for $300,000 the Tanana Mines Railroad which connects the city of 
Fairbanks with other towns and with the mining centers of the sur- 
rounding district. 

The Copper River and Northwestern railroad runs a distance of 
197 miles from Cordova to the Bonanza mines at Kennecott. 

The White Pass and Yukon Route runs from Skagway over the White 
Pass to Whitehorse, the head of navigation on the Yukon river, a dis- 
tance of 111 miles. 

The Seward Peninsula railroad runs from Nome into the Kougarok 
district and through the Nome mining district,. 

The Wild Goose railroad extends from Solomon, on Seward peninsula, 
seven miles to Ophir creek. The Yakutat and Southern railway ex- 
tends some miles from Yakutat to the Yakutat river. 

WAGON ROADS AND TRAILS 

Wagon roads in the territory have a total length of nearly 1,000 



GENERAL FACTS ABOUT ALASKA 



miles. Winter sled roads have a total length of nearly 700 miles. The 
roads are mostly built by the government under the direction of the 
Road Commission connected with the war department. The territorial 
government, however, also to some extent contributes to road work. 

TIMBER 

Forest reserves: The Tongass National Forest covers the entire 
southeastern archipelago, and the Chugach Reserve, with a width of 
about 100 miles, extends along the shores of the Pacific from the Mal- 
aspina glacier to the Kenai peninsula. These two reserves contain 26,- 
761,626 acres, or 41,815 square mile.<, and include the great bulk of 
the merchantable lumber trees. The trees suitable for lumber in the 
western region are, in point of value and numbers, the western hem- 
lock, the Sitka spruce, western red cedar and yellow or Alaska cedar. 
The forests are dense and as much as 25,000 feet per acre has be^n 
estimated for considerable tracts, of which 20 per cent is spruce, 75 
per cent hemlock and the remainder cedar and other timber trees. The 
spruce reaches a large size, up to six feet in diameter and a height of 
one hundred and fifty. Diameters of three or four feet are attained by 
the cedars. The growth is fairly rapid, spruce logs averaging 32 in- 
ches in diameter averaged 262 annual rings; two others 54 Inches in 
diameter showed 525 and 600 rings. 

The forests of the Interior are practically all included in the drain- 
age basins of the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers and are of a more de- 
ciduous type, saw timber being secured from the white birch, poplar, 
balsam poplar, black cottonwood and aspen. The timber Is small and may 
be regarded as only fit for local use. 

OIL 

Oil in commercial quantities has been found in the Controller Bay 
region, where eight commercial wells of comparatively small production 
are operated. Petroleum seepage is found at some other places. 

TOTAL EXPORTS FOR 1916 

The total exports from Alaska for the year ending December 31, 
1916, were $84,622,450. The total imports were $35,314,998. 

EXPORTS SINCE PURCHASE 

Since Alaska was purchased from Russia in 1868 it has produced 
in sea and fur products and In minerals $668,794,401. 

OTHER EXPORTS FOR 1916 

Furs, $919,998; gypsum, $55,100; lead ore, $79,762; marble, $29.- 
437; tin, $110,333; tungsten, $54,870; antimony, $179,635. 

ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES 

The total number of people arriving in Alaska from the United 
States and British Columbia In 1916 was 28,606. The number of de- 
partures was 26,859. 

FURS 

In addition to the fur of seals, other fur animals abound, such as sea 



GENERAL FACTS ABOUT ALASKA 



otter, beaver, mink, land otter, marten, ermine, lynx, fox, bear, wol- 
verine, etc, 

GOVERNMENT 

Alaska has a governor appointed by the President. It has a leg- 
islature composed of four representatives and two senators from each of 
the four judicial divisions. This legislature meets every two years. Each 
judicial division has a District judge and a U. S. marshal. A delegate 
to Congress and a territorial attorney general are elected by popular 
vote. The capital is at Juneau, having been transferred to that city 
from Sitka in 1906. 

CONDENSED INSTRUCTIONS RELATING TO THE ACQUISITION OP 

HOMESTEADS IN ALASKA 

Three land districts have been created in Alaska with offices at 
Juneau, Nome and Fairbanks, respectively. In the application for filing 
on lands the most careful description of the location is required, either 
when the claim is tied to a corner of a public survey or not. Detailed 
instructions can be obtained on application to the land officials. 

The general homestead laws of the United States are in force in 
Alaska except in so far as amended in their application to Alaska. 

The amendatory act of 1903 says that no location shall be made 
within 80 rods of another location along any navigable or other wateis. 
No entry shall be allowed extending more than 160 rods along the 
shore of any navigable water. No title shall be obtained hereunder to 
any of the mineral or coal lands. 

The act of July 8, 1916, limits the size of a homestead to 160 acres. 

When a claim was initiated before June 6, 1912, the homesteader 
may at his option perfect title under the three-year act or under the 
provisions of the old five-year law; the latter requires proof of residence 
and cultivation during the period indicated, but specifies no proportion 
of the area which must be cultivated. 

Where a settler desires to acquire as a homestead land, any or all 
of which is unsurveyed, he may initiate his claim by settlement thereon; 
where a public system of surveys is extended over the tract, settlement 
rights may be established and maintained only in the same manner as 
is allowed in the United States. Where unsurveyed, the settler must 
post on the land a notice of location, file a copy of the notice within 90 
days with the commissioner of the recording precinct. The tract se- 
lected must be rectangular in form, must not be more than one mile in 
length, located by lines running north and south, the four corners beijig 
marked by permanent monument?, and the notice must contain the name 
of the settler, the date of settlement, and the description of the land 
by reference to some natural object or permanent monument. 

A homestead entryman must show residence upon his claim for at 
least three years; however, he is entitled to absent himself during each 
year for ijot more than two periods making up an aggregate of five 
months, giving written notice to the local land office of the time of 
leaving the homestead and returning thereto. 

There must be shown cultivation of one-sixteenth of the area of the 
claim during the second year of the entry and of one-eighth during the 



GENERAL FACTS ABOUT ALASKA 



» 



third year. A habitable house must be on the land at the time proof 
ii submitted. 

To the extent of not more than 160 acres an entry may be "com- 
muted;" that is, the claimant may show 14 months' residence on the 
land and cultivation of one-sixteenth of the area commuted and pay the 
price of the land ($1.25 per acre), cash certificate thereupon Lssuing, fol- 
lowed by patent in the usual manner. 

Residence must be established upon the claim within six months after 
the date of entry, but an extension of not m6re than six months may 
be allowed if the entryman can prove that residence could not be es- 
tablished in that time. 

TRADE AND MANUFACTURING SITES 

Any citizen of the United States twenty-one years of age, or any 
association of such citizens, or any corporation incorporated under the 
laws of the United States, being qualified also in other minor respects, 
in good faith, may each purchase one claim only, not exceeding 80 acres 
of such land for any one person, association, or corporation at $2.50 
per acre. 



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